Republican

Bitcoin

Joe Biden

Pro-crypto Republican challenger Bernie Moreno has won the Ohio Senate seat from incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.
The Associated Press <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-5-2024#00000192-ffba-dd3b-abfa-fffab9670000" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-5-2024#00000192-ffba-dd3b-abfa-fffab9670000">called</a> Monero’s victory at 4:27 am UTC on Nov. 6.
Moreno’s win not only adds another pro-crypto voice to the Senate but also removes a powerful crypto-opposing politician who was chair of the Senate Banking Committee — which is key to passing crypto legislation.
<h2 id="a-new-pro-crypto-voice-in-washington">A new pro-crypto voice in Washington</h2>
Having never held political office before, Moreno campaigned as an “outsider.” Nonetheless, he garnered endorsements from a vast array of Republican insiders, all the way up to Donald Trump, who called Moreno “exactly the type of MAGA fighter we need in the Senate.”
Coinbase CEO Brian <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1849154747544273005" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Armstrong</a> and billionaire Grant <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/GrantCardone/status/1845833558134510024" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Cardone</a> were also among his supporters.
The Brown-Moreno contest was the most expensive Senate race in history, with over $500,000 <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ohios-historically-expensive-senate-race-hinges-trump-ticket-splitters-rcna177866" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">spent</a> on advertising, according to NBC News. Most of that spending came from political action committees (PACs), including the pro-crypto super PAC Defend American Jobs, which spent $41 million supporting Moreno.
Moreno shows all signs of being a dependably pro-crypto future legislator. He <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/berniemoreno/status/1807051099272007686" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">said</a> in an X post:
<blockquote>
 “Forever politicians like Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden don't understand the first thing about crypto and are totally unqualified to regulate it. They are obsessed with destroying crypto because they hate American innovation.”&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Moreno <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/10/us-senate-hopeful-bernie-moreno-praises-crypto-in-campaign-stop-as-industry-floods-ohio-with-ads.html?itm_source=parsely-api" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">supports</a> the creation of a Bitcoin (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/bitcoin-price" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">BTC</a>) national reserve and has promised to fight for “regulatory certainty.” He said on the campaign trail:
<blockquote>
 “Let me just end the myth right here: The crypto industry does not want no regulation. That’s totally false.”
</blockquote>
Related: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bernie-moreno-ohio-senate-race-sherrod-brown-sold-bitcoin" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Republican seeking to unseat Sherrod Brown said he sold all his Bitcoin</a>
<h2 id="a-long-time-pro-crypto-voice-in-ohio">A long-time pro-crypto voice in Ohio</h2>
Moreno is the owner of Bernie Moreno Companies — “a diversified group of portfolio companies with investments ranging from software technology using blockchain, various investments, and a bespoke vehicle subscription service,”&nbsp;according to LinkedIn.
<figure><img alt="Senate, US Elections 2024, Policy" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-11/0192fddb-7d2f-730a-972d-d3ec46355bb8" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/gongwer/status/1844374867237380240%20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://x.com/gongwer/status/1844374867237380240 ">Gongwer Ohio</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
Moreno’s crypto credentials are solid. He was one of the founders of Blockland Cleveland, an organization intended to promote blockchain in the local economy that had 1,500 members at one time. He also supported the 2018 initiative to <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/ohio-appears-to-be-first-us-state-to-accept-bitcoin-for-taxes-wsj-report" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">make Ohio state taxes payable</a> in Bitcoin (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/bitcoin-price" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">BTC</a>).
In 2018, after a successful career running car dealerships, Moreno co-founded the government technology company Champ Titles, which used blockchain to help states issue and manage vehicle ownership. Moreno was also behind an attempt to turn a mall in Cleveland into a regional blockchain hub in 2019. That site eventually <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-retains-nominal-role-in-cleveland-tech-hub" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">debuted as an “entrepreneurial center.”</a>
Moreno’s first foray into politics was during the 2022 Senate race, but he suspended his campaign before the primaries. Reportedly, Trump <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/11/whats-behind-us-sen-sherrod-browns-political-endurance-and-will-it-be-enough-for-him-to-win-in-2024.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">asked</a> Moreno to drop out in 2022. Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance is also an Ohio senator.
Magazine: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/crypto-voters-are-already-affecting-the-2024-presidential-election/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Crypto voters are already disrupting the 2024 election — and it’s set to continue</a>

Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate seat from Sherrod Brown

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Nov 6, 2024

Unpacking Trump’s 11 Crypto Commitments: Their Potential Impact on Bitcoin’s Trajectory

OpenGradient Comes Out of Stealth, Spearheading Secure and Scalable Decentralized AI Solutions

Deeptech Robotics Startup CynLr Secures $10 Million Series A Funding to Expand Global Team

Crypto Markets Add Over $200B Overnight as Bitcoin (BTC) Taps New All-Time High (Market Watch)

Trump Wins Presidency with Backing from Crypto Voters

Weekly Article Recap: 10/28-11/01

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!